Heading upstream

Taking a ferry up the Dart last week I was interested by the guy at the helm. A river man born and bred with the beard and complexion that resulted, he shared a desire, ‘the world being as it is’ to fly a flag of St George on the boat. I took this to be a reference to the lunacy across the Atlantic, although why the English flag rather than the Union Jack was unclear. More on the use of the English flag another time. It was his next comment which got me wondering though. He added that he’d also fly the Israeli flag because he wanted ‘him upstairs’ on his side and ‘him upstairs loves the Israelis’.

That seemed an interesting choice right now considering the current activities of the Israeli government. He could, of course, have been referring to the Israeli people and not the government – a population just as deserving of love and respect as anyone else – but the flag represents the state, and, in the last 18 months the state of Israel has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, has impeded or prevented the supply of water, aid, and medical supplies and appears to have committed a number of war crimes. Israel is clearly not the only bad actor here but what could possibly excuse this behaviour? And how likely is it to endear them to ‘him upstairs’? (I leave aside arguments about a God of love, about caring for all creation, and other theological debates for the moment).

Like many people I can’t see this issue as a binary choice – the background is nuanced, there have been atrocities on all sides, and the underlying conflict has its roots in decisions made by other powers – but there is no reality in which the Israeli government can be held to be acting with humanity. So, where are the voices calling for humanitarian solutions?

There are many, but sadly not in positions of sufficient power and influence. The USA is a dead loss in this, as in most other areas currently. Other states comment from the sidelines. There is, as you might imagine, a significant body of opinion in Israel which opposes the continuing warfare and/or the political structures which gave rise to the crisis. Here in the UK a movement has grown up among British Jews which seeks to challenge support for the Israeli government’s stance - Na’amod, which means ‘We will stand’ in Hebrew, and references the word used to call Jews to read from the Torah in synagogue: ya’amod/ta’amod/na l’amod (please stand). A ‘vibrant and inclusive Jewish community, imbued with Jewish history and inspired by the Jewish ethical tradition’, Na’amod’s purpose is to mobilise the community in the struggle for equality and justice for all Palestinians and Israelis. More on this group on https://naamod.org.uk. I am struck by the inclusiveness they espouse, and by the shared affection for the poppy.

But for those of us who are not part of the Jewish community, not Israelis, not in positions of power, what can we do? We can debate, talk, influence our politicians and those of us who are writers have the privilege of being able to write about it. I have to believe that raising the issues is, in itself, a positive step – maybe a small one but small steps add up. It’s a stand, a voice for peace, for reconciliation, and an end to the killings. Like the ferry boat I took from Dartmouth Castle back into the town, it might require motoring against the flow but it’s still worth doing.

bombs fall and tanks roll 
in the fields
poppies